Anticipating a hike in the Olympic Mountains, I was in the need for some
trail conditioning. So, I headed for the every friendly and pleasant
Columbia River Gorge. I started off at the parking lot for Wahkeena
Falls. That trail, although short and simple enough, remains a personal
favorite. I love the trail right along the creek bed.

I got my boots on and grabbed my pack and was on my way up the hill.
Right at the trailhead there were several tourists, cameras in hand, photographing
what they could see of the falls through the underbrush. This always
amazed me. If you start on the trail, a mere 0.2 mile is traversed
on a paved path (hardly a trail) and you reach Wahkeena Falls, shown below.
Wahkeena Falls. There are actually three steps to this spectacular
stream.

There was just one person at the falls when I arrived. He had set
up a tripod and was working at obtaining an image. I never fail
to be impressed with the moss growing on the rocks in the Gorge.

The trail continued in a paved form for a while until it reached the stream
well above the top water fall. The trail then changed to a more traditional
form, loosing the pavement, becoming the scene shown below.
Wahkeena Creek with the parallel trail.

I followed this familiar trail up to a junction 1200 feet up. Several
trails converge at one point, one of them being that to Devil's Rest, a common
destination. Rather than take this leg, I decided to loop over to Multnomah
Creek and then follow the Larch Mountain Trail for a while. The
connecting trail is scenic, traversing along the Gorge deep in the trees.

Multnomah Creek, well above the falls. We really need a person
or yard stick of some sort for this photo, for it is difficult to tell what
is seen. The major fallen tree that has some water flowing across
it is probably 5 feet in diameter.

I followed this creek upstream for a bit over a mile until I reached a junction
with the Franklin Ridge Trail. By then the creek had diminished to
a mere whisper of its lower elevation self.
Upper Multnomah Creek in late summer conditions.

Seeing these creeks at this time of year made me want to return in the spring
when they are flowing more heavily.

The weather was quite warm on this day, but it was still pleasant and scenic
in the Gorge.